Sealing apparatus



H. KAPA'UN ET AL 3,030,674

April 24, 1962 SEALING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 9, 1960 INVENTORS. Herben L. Kagaun Y Chester W Ell/ngson, Jr. v B Waofafww vii ' THE/R A r ron/v5 Ys April 24, 1962 H. L. KAPAUN ETAL 3,030,674

SEALING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 9, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 64

INVENTORS. Herberf L. Kapaun BY Chester W E/lingsomJr: d5/, /wwn.

THE IR A TTORNE YS ite States Free 3,030,674 SEALING APPARATUS Herbert L. Kapaun, St. Louis Park, and Chester W.

Ellngson, Jr., Minneapolis, Minn., assignors to Reese Metal Weather Strip Co., Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Filed Nov. 9, 1960, Ser. No. 68,294 3 Claims. (Cl. 20-68) Our invention is directed to a sealing device for use on a closure, particularly a door or the like which is swingably mounted on vertical pins along one of its vertical edges. Our invention is mounted along the bottom edge of the door and has a sealing strip which is swung downward into engagement with the doorsill when the door is closed. Our device is simple in construction, having very few moving parts and, therefore, is extremely simple and inexpensive to manufacture. Our device is constructed such that it is freely moving in performing its sealing function at the bottom of the door and can be easily adapted to various size doors. Our device has an attractive appearance and is manufactured from materials having long life and low maintenance.

In the drawings, we have shown a present preferred embodiment of our invention in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation view of our invention with the sealing strip in raised position;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation view of our invention with the sealing strip in lowered position;

FIGURE 3 is a cross section taken on line III-III of FIGURE 2 with part of the seal being broken away;

FIGURE 4 is a cross section taken on line IV-IV n of FIGURE 2; Y

FIGURE 5 is a cross section taken on line V-V of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 6 is an exploded isometric of our invention;

FIGURE 7 is a horizontal cross section of our invention attached to a closed door; and

FIGURE 8 is a horizontal cross section of our invention attached to an open door.

Briefly, our invention includes a U-shaped housing which is positioned on the door with its open side downward, and a felted sealing strip or bar swingably mounted within the housing by a pair of piyotally mounted links. The felted bar moves sidewise and vertically within the housing and is biased to an upward position by a centrally located spring. The felted bar is moved sidewise and downward into engagement with the sill of the door when the door is closed by engagement of one end of the felted bar against the frame of the door when the door is closed.

Our invention is` particularly adapted fory use on a door 10 mounted in the conventional way in a frame 11 by hinges 12. Our sealing device includes a U-shaped channel 13 which is positioned on the door with its open side downward, a second U-shaped channel 14, having smaller dimensions than the rst channel, is positioned within the first channel 13. A Vfelt bar 1S is clamped within the channel 14. The felt bar 15 is preferably fabricated from felt but can also be fabricated from sponge rubber or other similar resilient material. The channel 14 has underturned edges on its inner face to hold the felt bar 15 securely within the channel.

The channel 14 has three slots 16 in its upper closed wall. These slots are spaced an equal distance from each other. Each of the side walls of channel 14 has three circular holes 17 located therein and one hole in each wall is in alignment with a hole in the opposite wall. Each pair of aligned holes 17 is located immediately below the slots 16 as shown in FIGURE 6.

A pair of L-shaped links 18, each having a long upper leg and a short lower leg, swingably suspends the channel 14 inside of channel 13. The short lower leg of each link 18 has a hole 19 therein and the width of the short lower leg is substantially less than the length of the slots 16. The slot 16 must be of suicient length to permit pivotal movement of the link 18 within the slot in a manner to be described hereinafter. The lower leg of each link 18 is positioned inside the channel 14 by insertion of the leg through the slot 16. 'Ihe holes 17 in the channel and the hole 19 in the leg are positioned in alignment. A rivet or eyelet 20 is inserted through the holes 17 and 19. One end of the rivet 20 is headed and the other end is burred outward to retain the rivet within the holes and the link 18 within the slot 16.

Each side wall of channel 13 has three equally spaced holes 21. One hole in each wall is in alignment with a hole in the opposite Wall. The long leg of each link 18 has a large hole 22 which receives a spacer-bearing or bushing including a hollow cylinder 23 having an integral, radially extending flange 24. The cylinder 23 is inserted through the opening 22 and a retaining spacerbearing ring 25 having a central opening 26 is slid over the outer surface of cylinder 23. The ring 25 is snugly received on the cylinder 23 and retained in position by friction. The long arm of each link 13 having the spacer-bearing 23 and retaining ring 25 thereon is positioned inside channel 14 with the hollow portion of cylinder 23 in alignment with holes 21. A hollow rivet or eyelet 27 is then pushed through cylinder 23 and holes 21. One end of the hollow rivet 27 is headed and the other end is burred to retain the rivet within the holes. The rivet 27 is of suilicient size to be slidably received within the holes and cylinder. Anopening 28 through the middle of the hollow rivet 27 is of suicient size to receive a mounting screw 29 which is screwed into door 10 to maintain the sealing device in proper position upon the door 10.

The links 18 at each end of the sealing device are constructed and mounted identically; therefore, only one is described herein.

A torsion leaf spring 30 has a tangentially and downwardly extending leg 31 with a hook 32 on its lower end which is positioned in the center slot I16 ofthe channel 14. The hook 32 is aligned with the holes 17. A rivet or eyelet 20 is positioned through the holes 17 and the hook 32 of the spring 30. One end of the rivet is headed and the other end is burred to retain the rivet Within the holes and maintain the spring hook 32 on the rivet. I The spring is free to pivot about the rivet 20. The spring 30 has numerous coils which arefacing downward relative to the channel 30 as shown in FIGURE 2 and a second tangentially and upwardly extending end 33 which engages the underside of the closed side of channel 13, as shown in FIGURE 1. The spring 30 has sutlcient elasticity to bias the channel 14 to an upward sidewise position as shown in FIGURE 1. The spring is in tension even when thesealing stripis in `the position shown in FIGURE l. A hollow cylindrical spacer-bearing 34 is positioned Within the coil 30 and the spring and spacer are positioned lwithin the channel 13 'with the hollow portion of cylinder 34 in alignment with the aligned holes 211 in the central portion of channel 13. A hollow rivet or eyelet 27 is positioned within the holes 21 and the hollow of cylinder 34. The rivet is headed on one end and burred on the other endto retain it within the holes and the cylinder 34. A mounting screw 29 passes through the hollow portion 28 of the -rivet 27 to properly mount the sealing device on the door as hereinbefore described.

A small metal stripV 36 is mounted on the frame 11 of the door `10 and the left-hand end of channel 14, as viewed in FIGURES 1 and 2, abuts against this metal Y 3 strip during closing of .the door. vents damage to the frame L1.

The channels .13 and 14 are preferably `fabricated from aluminum, and the bushings are preferably fabricated from nylon, but any known rigid material can be used. Channel 114 is produced from coiled aluminum strip which is shaped on la roll former into a channel that is wider at the open end than at the closed end. This channel is then cut to the desired lengths for the finished product. Slots 16 and holes 17 are punched into the channel and felt bar 15 is inserted into the channel. The felted aluminum channel is again passed through a roll former which partially closes the open side of the channel by compressing the felt bar'. The links 18 are then inserted into the end slots 16 and rivets A2,0 placed in holes 17 and 19. The rivets are burred over to retain them in the holes. 'I'he hook 32 of spring 30 is inserted in center slot '16 and rivet 20 is placed in the aligned holes 17 and lhaoak 32. This rivet is also hurred over to retain it in the o es.

The bushings 23 and spacer 34 are positioned in their proper holes in the links and spring. Y

'I'he channel 13 is roll formed from coiled, prepainted aluminum strip and cut to proper length for the iinished product. Holes 21 are then punched in the channel. The links and spring attached tothe assembled felted channel 14 are then inserted into channel 13. As the spring 30 is inserted into channel 113, it exerts a force against the inside of the top wall of the channel, thereby moving the felted channel up into channel 13. Hollow rivets 27 are then inserted through holes 211 bushings 23 and spacer 34. The ends of rivets 27 are tiered out on an eyelet setting machine.

The device is then packaged for sale. While we have described a present preferred embodi- Thereby, strip 36 prement of our invention, itis to be understood that it may be embodied within the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. A sealing device for -a closure which is swingably mounted in a stationary frame; said device including a rst U-shaped channel positioned on the closure substantially perpendicular to a first portion of the frame; the open side of the channel facing a second portion of the frame extending perpendicular -to said iirst portion of the frame; a second U-shaped channel `movably positioned within the first channel, the open side of 'the second channel facing in the same direction as the first channel; a resilient pad positioned within and ailixed to lthe second channel; a portion of the pad extending outwardly from lthe second channel and engageable with said second portion of the frame to provide a seal between said second portion and a portion of the closure immediately adjacent the second portion; a pair of links positioned within said first channel, each of saidlinks being L-shaped with a short leg and a long leg; a pair of longitudinally extending slots in the closed side of the second U-shaped channel; a short leg of each link entering the second channel through one of the slots and vbeing pivotally affixed to the inside of the second channel; the long leg of each link being pivotally affixed Vinside the lirst channel, said links being aflixed to pivot longitudinally of said first channel and to move the second channel to an extended position and a withdrawn position; said resilient pad being in sealing engagement with the stationary frame when the iirst channel is in said extended position; a hole in the end of each long leg, a bushing positioned in each lastrnentioned hole, the bushing including a hollow cylinder having an integral, radially extending ilange at one end and a removable, radially extending ange at the other end; said removable :flange having a central opening which slidably engages the outer surface of the hollow cylinder; a pair of spaced holes in each downwardly directed leg of the first channel, one hole in said long leg being in transverse alignment with a pair of holes in said rst channel; said bushings being positioned with the hollow of said cylinder in alignment with each pair of transversely aligned holes in the first channel; the bushings being bearings for said long legs and spacers to maintain the downwardly directed legs of the first channel in parallel relationship to each other; a hollow rivet extending through and retained in each hollow Vin the bushing and the aligned holes in the rst channel; means positioned in the hollow of each rivet and atlixed to said closure to maintain the sealing device stationary relative to the closure; a third longitudinally extending slot in the closed side of said second channel, said third slot being located midway between said pair of slots; a coil spring located within the first channel and approximately midway between said hollow rivets, one end of the spring extending tangentially of the spring and engaging the inside of the closed side of the iirst channel; a second end of the spring extending tangentially of the spring in a direction opposite to said one end and into the third slot of the second channel, sai-d second end of the spring being pivotally connected inside said second channel; a third hole in each of the downwardly directed legs of the rst channel; the third holes 'being in alignment with each other and positioned midway between the other holes in the first legs, a securing means positioned and retained in said third holes and the vcenter portion of the coil spring, said spring normally biasing the second channel to said Iwithdrawn position; one end of the second channel being engageable with said frame when the closure is swung relative to the frame such that -the second channel moves to said extended position against the normal bias of the spring and by pivoting the links about their pivotal connections.

'2. A device according t-o claim 1 including a hollow cylindrical spacer positioned inside the coil portion of the spring, the hollow of the spacer being in alignment with said third holes; and the securing means being positioned within the hollow and the third holes.

3. A device according to claim l wherein said bushings are fabricated from nylon.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,630,821 Basham May 2l, 1927 1,751,373 Wagner et al. Mar. 18, 1930 1,853,338 Dennis Apr. 12, 1932 2,167,776 Raible Aug. 1, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS 2,820/26 Australia lune 27, 192.7 

